30th Dec 06
my 22nd birthday in full Mensa fashion.
special guest is my classmate and fren of 4 yrs, Huiling!!! yep, from ARTS O-II.
started with a steamboat feast for lunch!!!
prepared by Veen with lots of love =)
for some reasons, Mich and Muck are perpetually 
trying to murder Elaine (for some unknown reason).
yes, in the most gruesome manner... =P Saw 1, 2 and 3. woohoo!!! 
that's my Mensa, together with chocolate-lemon cake from Bakerzin (courtesy of Aunty Susan) and Late Harvest Riesling from my beloved Yering Station! Enjoyed lots!
so..ci (read:soci) u next year
it's the LAST day of the month December!!!
what have i been doing?
let's see...
1. soci honors gathering at Gilman Heights.
that's Alvin and us, from left: 
myself, teresa, jacq and daph.
lucky lucky Alvin =P
to the right: it's THE class. a class of its own.
2. Christmas @ Joey's house
dinner was superb!!! Joey and her gf, Nam who's from Bangkok cooked a really authentic thai dinner.
tom yam kung, chicken green curry, steamed fish
(with chilli, lime juice and minced garlic), prawns with fried vermicelli and young coconut agar agar. Fantastic!!! 
3 more days to a new year.
nope, i haven't came up with my new year resolutions yet =P
2007. seriously, time flies.
by May, I'll finish my final examination and bid farewell to varsity years
and say "hello" to the real world.
to those close to my heart throughout JC and NUS,
thank you very much for walking this journey with me.
this road has been made less rocky and a lot more cheery because of your companionship, support and encouragement.
special hugs to Michele, Elaine, Qiao, Eun, Zhuo Min and Joshua. you are my angels.
we will all embark on different paths, towards different goals, moving at different speeds,
but keep each other in heart and in prayers. we are just a phone call or sms away.
********************
to the one i am always pissed at:
there can be moments where you make me so mad,
but such unhappiness hardly last overnight.
maybe that's why we are still close friends.
maybe that's why i still bother soothing your feathers when your girlfriend drives you mad.
maybe that's why you will still call me back,
after receiving a scolding from me in the middle of the night.
over 3 years, our friendship has moved from one point to another;
from one form to another; aspects of our lives we hid, aspects we chose to project.
all these ups and downs, light and darkness has only made our faith and friendship stronger.
thank God for His blessings.
incomplete
lies hurt. incomplete truth hurts too.
i don't understand why can't you ever be completely honest with me, given our 3 yrs of friendship.
i'm amazed by the amount of hope i've placed in you,
only to find myself in exhaustion and fatigue in the end.
the things you say about not wanting a relationship and a girlfriend.
i knew that the resoluation won't last long. i know you will come back complaining. in time to come.
and i will still be that loser friend who has to take your complains,
lend you a shoulder to cry on and be there to pat your back anyway.
end of the day, we both hide things from each other. things we never want to say.
feelings we sweep under the carpet. details we gloss over.
why so? i don't know. i can't explain. but when the truth dawns, it hurts. .
the only consolation : we don't hate each other, we still talk and we still support each other.
that's the greatest gift we have ever bestowed upon each other. Thank God for that.
sometimes i wonder, won't it be better if clean breaks were made and clear lines were drawn.
but us being us... that won't happen. most matters will still be shades of grey.
what's most important to me?
that you are happy and i will love you always.
CafeBiz Sunday Brunch
went to the Traders Hotel, CafeBiz Sunday Brunch today.
for those who do not know where Traders Hotel is, it's at Cuscaden Rd, next to Tanglin Mall.
for $32 per pax, it is value-for-money and certainl;y, a great feast lasting from 12 noon - 5pm.
the diners were made up of families and tai-tai groups. however, the atmosphere is unpretentious.
it is casual and relaxing.
DIY, eat and chat for 5 hrs, a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon with the folks.
yes, be warned of young children running around without much supervision.
there's a fresh salad counter, complete with oak greens and red corals; a fresh sashimi (constantly replenished) and assorted sushi / maki counter (complete with california maki, tako sushi; sweet beancurd skin sushi and fresh tuna roll). in addition, there're Japanese pickled vegetables (lighted salty but fresh and crunchy) and fresh snow pea sprouts.
there's also a DIY 'dip-dip' counter, where u take ur pick of raw skewers, such as squid-mussles; crabmeat; enoki mushroom wrapped in leeks or thin beef slices; dory and salmon slices etc.
after taking your pick, you bring them to these pots of boiling soup (for beef and non-beef items), dip them in, watch ur skewers boil for like 4 mins and voila! add some chilli-lime sauce and tuck in!
there're also a Laksa and Congee counter. both also DIY concepts.
for the Laksa, you can select how much noodles and ingredients you like; in what proportions and how much gravy; what to cook first and add last. however, the are no fresh clams available.
for the Congee (which is fresh, piping hot and smooth in consistency), you can pick from the various Teochew pickled relish.
there're also other local delights such as fried rice, fried noodles and other cooked dishes.
more impressive was the pork-cabbage dumpings with la-mian, in chicken herbal soup.
the dumpling skin were thin and smooth, the pork and prawns were very cruchy i.e. fresh; and the dumpling was stuffed with more cabbage than pork flling, making each bite very refreshing! the chicken herbal soup was just right, the herbal flavor was not overpowering, allowing some depth and breadth for the dumplings and noodles to express themselves. i enjoyed that alot.
the same counter also offered cantonese roasted meats such as duck, chicken and pork belly.
unfortunately, i am not that much a carnivore so no comments =P
however, they DO look quite good. so, why not you try them and tell me? =)
at the same counter, there's also a selection of Indian cuisine, such as Garlic Naan (kinda oily for a naan, that it resembled a prata instead... ). the vegetable korma was so-so and the fish tikka was kinda hard (maybe exposed to air for too long).
of course, all meals with Veen must end with a sweet dessert.
i had the freshly baked waffles topped with jackfruit ice cream. woah...
the waffles were really good. fresh, light, buttery with a sustantial amount of fresh eggs....
oo00oo... melts in your mouth, with the rich fragrance of freshly baked waffles...
and the cold ice cream... ahh....
no, i didn't stop there. had a slice of chocolate truffle cake.
chocolate mousse with a thin layer of chocolate sponge. impressive.
there're also shot glasses of fresh strawberry pieces, drizzled with Japanese Yuzu oil (a citrus fruit); a chocolate fountain with marshmallows, finger biscuits and rockmelon cubes.
what i found impressive about this buffet was the DIY concept, where i get to choose what i like, cook them myself (albeit watching them boil); add the condiments and decide how much of what i'll like to have for that dish. i enjoy walking around, having some hands-on while i eat. buffets where everything has been prepared and i'd just go up to the counter to pick the dishes ain't that fun.
it's been a sweet day. kitty purrs with contentment.
Deck the halls!
Things to do this December
1. watch Open Season with Mensa at new Cathay.
Muck n Choon, pls rsvp with me k? otherwise, we girls r leaving without you guys!
2. play one session of board games with Liang Cai.
3. check out The Cannery with Pat and Huiling; can visit St James too
(though i heard that it's quite an Ah Beng place).
4. Brewerkz for an afternoon with the honors class, followed by Morton's for cocktails.
5. hang out with Eunice and Qiao at Barks.
6. watch a movie with Luke.
7. stroll the new IKEA at Tampines, with Xiao Hui for muffin trays and shot glasses.
8. gym, salsa, swim and run.
9. Advent weekend camp at Church + screening of The Nativity Story
10. NOT to watch planes go by at the waving gallery and/or play strip poker with future-lawyers.
<>
I wish....
that the Tay family will invite us back to their chalet at Batam for NYE wkend.
i miss fishing for squidies in the middle of the nite...
I dream to....
skinny dip in the private infinity pool at The Racha.
i miss the sound of the open sea...
yes Duckie, u know where my favorite private pools are, but let's keep them under wraps =)
Post Exams
after a long hiatus from blogging,
i am finally back again =) *applause*
yep, the term papers have been sumitted; exams have ended.
once again, it's time to usher in the year-end holidays and Christmas.
after a good week of sleep (and more sleep), personal grooming and rolling at home..
i finally feel human again. it's time to get the party started!
no, i didn't go to Zouk Out coz i refused to pay for getting sand into my ass.
i haven't been to Kandi Bar at The Cannery; St James or Movida or any clubs of late.
blame it on my inertia to step out of my house, unless for a very good reason.
c'mon... i live in the East. there's ever-happening Siglap n Changi to chill out at..
who needs to go into the city and squeeze with everyone else,
when i can be nice and comfortable at Barks Cafe or Sunset at Seletar Airbase?
what have i been doing every night?
watching...
Grey's Anatomy.
it's witty; the storylines areshapr; each character is well-developed.
now, i am waiting for Season 3 dvds. yes Duckie, i know you are done with them. dang!
anyway, enough of my couch potato life. time to make plans for more productive activities. laters!
my 22nd birthday in full Mensa fashion. 
trying to murder Elaine (for some unknown reason).
